Spring Awakening Music Festival Announces Lineup + New Location

React Presents is elated to announce the full lineup for Spring Awakening Music Festival’s highly anticipated fifth anniversary! Over 100 artists from all across the electronic music spectrum will occupy five incredible stages to bring a welcome mixture of hard-hitting and memorable performances to SAMF’s dedicated attendees.

For the first time ever, the festival will host two main stages for fans of only the most impressive names in dance music to enjoy and explore. Spring Awakening’s main DJ STAGE will draw crowds in for some of the weekend’s most sought after artists, including ABOVE & BEYOND, KASKADE, THE CHAINSMOKERS, STEVE AOKI, DILLON FRANCIS, CARNAGE, NICKY ROMERO, DVBBS and DASH BERLIN. Alongside them, BORGORE, DADA LIFE, TRITONAL, SHOWTEK, CASH CASH and 3LAU will bring serious heat to the festivities, allowing festivalgoers to dance away to a top tier, immersive musical experience unlike anything offered in the Midwest.

Meanwhile, on the second main stage, dubbed the ELECTRONIC STAGE, production legends DEADMAU5, ZEDS DEAD, JAMIE XX, RL GRIME, FLYING LOTUS, CRYSTAL CASTLES, FLUX PAVILION, GRAMATIK, GESAFFELSTEIN, A-TRAK and MADEON will introduce a monumental array of unforgettable live sets. In support of the biggest names in electronic music, other notable acts include HIPPIE SABOTAGE, THE KNOCKS, JAI WOLF, REZZ and TROYBOI. Together, the roster represents some of the most exciting and forward-pushing movements in the genre.

Additionally, six different brands will take over two of SAMF’s stages throughout the weekend to host special showcases with their respected sounds. React’s popular and noteworthy event series will return, as the BASS KITCHEN stage brings attendees to their knees for the second year in a row with a roster that provides the perfect combination of grit and grime. On the BODY LANGUAGE stage, house heads who regularly attend the MID’s heralded series will find familiar refuge, while the TRANCE ARENA stage will once again be providing the absolute best from the trance circuit to showcase the soaring, melodic thrills expected of the festival's veteran stage.

In 2016, SAMF welcomes three new curators including the DIRTYBIRD tastemakers who will host their very own BIRDHOUSE stage, along with DJ MAG, a UK-based electronic music publication and host of the yearly Top 100 DJs competition, who will give fans the chance to explore a fresh and unprecedented lineup of acts from all corners of the scene. Lastly, PETE TONG will bring his acclaimed ALL GONE PETE TONG stage to the festival floor, formally adding Spring Awakening to the list of events like TomorrowWorld and Electric Zoo to have been graced by its presence. Check out the lineups for each of the branded stages in the flyer below.

In addition to the artist lineup, a new venue has been announced for the 2016 installment. In February, Spring Awakening was given conditional approval to announce its move to Jackson Park; but after the announcement, scheduling conflicts arose with another event in the community, and both events were unable to coexist on the same weekend. Consequently, Spring Awakening will now be held at Addams/Medill Park, located in University Village / Little Italy.

“The process of orchestrating a festival of this size within the city of Chicago is staggering. We care very much about the communities in which we look to hold these events, and work closely with city officials to ensure that they run smoothly. Therefore, this required us to reassess Spring Awakening’s location to find something that’s a better fit. We worked very hard to find a new home for Spring Awakening in a very short amount of time, and would like to thank our fans for their patience and unconditional support.”

– Jeff Callahan, Founder of Spring Awakening Music Festival

The new venue will provide Spring Awakening fans with easy public transportation options from around the city. Addams/Medill Park is only within a short walk of the CTA Pink Line trains at the 18th Street and Polk Street stops, as well as the Blue Line trains at the Racine stop. It is also accessible from the Ashland, Roosevelt, and 18th St CTA buses. For more details on the various transportation options, clickHERE.